Beyond magazine

This blog entry isn’t directly film related, so allow me a rare indulgence.

For several years now, I’ve been fortunate to count Karen Neudorf and her Canadian cohorts who publish Beyond magazine among my dearest friends. Although their first issue was printed in 1995, like all of us, Beyond‘s creative efforts led them to re-evaluate their vision. After a few years of reasonable success, they decided to a) expand the magazine’s focus, b) drop all of its advertising, and c) become non-profit.

In between that time and now, a few years have gone by while Karen has fund-raised and applied for grants, fine-tuned her vision, collected the work of writers and artists, and lived on bread and water.

So I’m very proud to announce the first issue of the new improved Beyond has finally been released. I believe in independent publishing and in artists who want to communicate without kowtowing to advertisers. But they need subscribers to make this work. ($30/year for 4 issues.)

I can’t guarantee you’ll like the magazine, but I can guarantee these things:

ïIt’s a labor of love by smart people hoping to make the world a better place.

ïIt’s strikingly designed by Janine Vangool, whose work was recently featured in the journal, Communication Arts.

ïIt’s well-written and eclectic, with such articles as an interview with musician Jane Siberry, a commentary on the life of painter and writer Emily Carr, reprinted pieces by Isak Dinesen and Douglas Coupland, and an introduction to contemporary cinephilia by yours truly, among many quotes, humorous bits, and music and reading recommendations.

I find the magazine enjoyable and inspiring reading and I encourage you to check it out.